


the light is no mystery

by unfictional



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco is actually very small, Hogwarts Sixth Year, Sectumsempra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 05:20:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4335398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unfictional/pseuds/unfictional
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry can't forgive himself for what he did to Draco in that bathroom. He never meant for it to happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the light is no mystery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redpotter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redpotter/gifts).



> Written for the lovely tumblr user [hispotter](http://hispotter.tumblr.com/), who was tired of reading bad Drarry. This is another one just for you.
> 
> The fic completely ignores what happened directly after Harry left the bathroom and the day went by without anything else really happening, ok? Ok.

Fuck. Fuck.  _Fuck._

Harry was out of the bed the moment he could hear the other boys fall asleep. If six years of sharing a room with the same people taught you something, it was their sleeping patterns.

He grabbed the map from where it was safely tucked inside his pillowcase, snatched his wand that lay next to it, and was out of his bed under his cloak at the fastest time yet. He just couldn't sleep now. He had to... He had to do something about this.

But what would he do? What  _could_  he do? It wasn't like they were on friendly terms anyway, but he just couldn't forgive himself for what he'd done. He never meant to do it, he didn't  _know_ …

By sheer luck, one of the younger Gryffindors were coming back through the portrait hole right when he walked up to it. A fourth year girl passed him, looking like she’d fallen asleep in the library (which he knew how it looked, of course, he was friends with Hermione) and had just been woken up by an angry Madam Pinch.

He quickly sneaked out of the door before it closed.

And what was his plan now? Harry didn’t know. He took a deep breath and let his feet lead him down the (… oddly) familiar way to the hospital wing while making absolutely sure he wouldn’t run into any of the teachers or other nightly walkers. And then he was there.

Had he even thought this through? Again,  _fuck_. But he took a deep breath, cast a quiet Muffliato, checked a last time that Madam Pomfrey was nowhere in sight, and slowly opened the (unlocked?) door. He was in.

A tiny light was lit by one of the beds, which he also knew was the only one occupied this night according to his map. The room was dark beyond that, but his eyes were already accustomed to the darkness from the walk here. He didn’t even dare to breathe, but it was too late.

” _Who is it?_ ”

Harry made his way to the end of the bed, still hiding beneath the cloak. Draco looked around the room, looking even paler than usual in the soft light. Harry put his finger against his lips, and carefully removed the cloak from his head. This was it.

Draco quickly moved his head to the body that appeared from the thin air, but didn’t look as surprised as Harry thought he would. He merely looked… disappointed? Or was it something else entirely?

Neither spoke for a few moments, until Draco broke the silence.

”Are you here to finish what you started?”

Harry’s head snapped up to look into the other boy’s eyes.

” _No!_  I mean, no I-”

”What  _are_  you doing here then, Potter? Are you here to make fun of me? Do it then. Just do-”

”I’m not gonna make fun of you, Malfoy! I am here to… well, I actually don’t know why I’m here. I really didn’t plan any of this, okay?”

”Plan what, exactly? The trying-to-kill-me thing or the let’s-visit-Malfoy-in-the-middle-of-the-night thing?”

Harry’s voice was barely a whisper now.

”Like you didn’t try to kill me first.”

The silence suddenly seemed louder than the words they’d uttered. Harry sat down on the bed next to Draco’s and looked at the floor, preparing his next words.

”I didn’t know what that spell did. I never wanted you dead, Malfoy, how much you even want to believe it. Even  _you_  don’t deserve that.” He had no idea where these words came from, but he couldn’t stop them. Harry looked up at Draco again, who was looking directly at Harry, eyes wide, but went back to the usual glare when he noticed he was being watched.

”Why would I believe you?”

”You don’t have to. I am just… telling you the truth. And you decide if you believe me or not.”

He took another breath and stood up again.

”This was a mistake.” He started to walk back out the door again.

” _Wait!_ ”

Harry stopped, but didn’t turn around. 

”What if I choose to believe you?” The voice sounded more fragile than before.

He turned to look at Draco again, and his heart ached when he saw that the other boy was trying to sit up against his pillows, very obviously in pain. It took very much strength for him not to do anything to help.

_To help._  That was it. That was why he was here.

”Do you want to believe it?” He didn’t know why he needed Draco to trust him, but he did. He really, really did.

Draco groaned as he tried to sit up even more, making Harry flinch in sympathy. There was another heavy silence.

”Do I have anything to lose?”

He took his chance.

”I’ve watched you the entire year, Malfoy, and I know you’re up to something.” Where did these words  _come from_? ”You haven’t bothered me at all this year, which has bothered  _me_. You have been distracted for months. Did Voldemort make you do something? What is he trying to do? I know you don’t want this, Draco. We’re both only  _sixteen_. We're both still children, and this is all just  _fucked_.  _up_."

They were staring at each other by now and Harry almost felt like he was out of breath. He walked closer to the bed where Draco looked confused, but slightly… intrigued. He seemed to be thinking about what he had said, and not reacting by insulting Harry as he had expected. This was really a strange night. Draco closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them again, he looked like a very small boy.

”Can you promise that my family will be safe?”

He had not expected those words to come out of him, but they both shocked and warmed him at the same time. Who knew Draco Malfoy had a heart? He had to bite down on his cheeks to prevent a small smile to escape, and then he did something unexpected for them both. He stretched out his hand.

”I promise I will try my best.”

And Draco took it.


End file.
